Pet Buddy
Pet Buddy was created to help pet parents manage their pets' care with ease and efficiency. In the hustle of busy schedules and personal commitments, it’s easy to miss vet appointments or forget essential activities like walks and playtime. Pet Buddy empowers pet owners to stay organised and engaged, ensuring their furry companions' needs are met in a seamless and enjoyable way.
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Project duration: 3 months
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My role: Research, analysis, wireframing, design, prototyping
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Type of project: Portfolio project for Google UX/UI design course
Problem statement
The Pet Buddy app addresses common challenges in pet care, including disorganised information, finding time for walks and play, and gaps in knowledge about pet behaviour and health.
Goal statement
Our pet care app helps pet parents organize their pets' information and stay on top of activities like vet visits and grooming appointments.
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This statement stems from the question - How might we simplify and streamline daily pet care tasks for pet parents, ensuring their pets stay healthy and happy?
User research
I conducted primary research through qualitative interviews with eight participants to understand the challenges pet owners face and how they manage information about their pets. Using affinity mapping, I analysed the data to identify recurring themes and pinpoint three key pain points shared by users. To complement these findings, I performed a competitive analysis of popular pet care apps as part of my secondary research.
Pain points
Lack of info storage
Many pet parents struggled to maintain a centralised record of their pets' health, vaccinations, and activity schedules. Information was often scattered across multiple sources or relied on memory, leading to disorganisation
Quality time with pet
Participants emphasised the importance of regular walks and playtime for their pets but found it challenging to prioritise these activities amidst their busy schedules
Behavioural concerns
New pet parents, in particular, expressed concerns about their pets' mood and behavioural changes, often feeling unsure about how to address these shifts effectively
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Affinity mapping
Affinity mapping is an effective technique for organising and analysing qualitative data from user interviews. Using this method, I identified recurring concerns from the interview data and grouped them into meaningful themes.
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The main categories included external help for pet care, activity tracking, grooming, pet mood, exercise, and food and nutrition, each with corresponding subcategories to further detail user needs
User personas
"Not able to understand pet's behaviour, overwhelmed with responsibilities."
"Inconsistent walking schedules, dog feeling neglected at home, overweight dog"
User journey
The goal of the Pet Buddy app is to help users track their pet’s vaccination dates and vet visits, providing timely reminders for busy pet parents. It will also store important pet information in a structured, easily accessible manner.
Competitive audit
I conducted a competitive audit to assess Pet Buddy's market competitors, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses. The findings were then analysed through a SWOT framework to identify how Pet Buddy could differentiate itself and attract a unique user base. Key opportunities included simplifying navigation, enhancing the visibility of important buttons, creating well-labelled menus, and offering credible, pet-related articles
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Paper wireframes
Pet profile icons
Bottom navigation tab
Notes list
Add note button
Tags
On the homepage, I designed a bottom navigation bar for quick access to key features. Additionally, I included pet profile icons, enabling users to easily add or switch profiles, with the page content updating accordingly.
On the notes page, I opted for a list format, with an action button next to each title for easy access. The 'Add Note' page allows users to include tags, making it easier to organise and search their notes.
Digital wireframes
Homepage
I incorporated pet profile icons on the homepage, allowing users to easily switch between different pet profiles. Upcoming appointments were given priority, followed by personalised articles tailored to each pet's needs.
Track
Each core feature page also included pet profile icons, ensuring the content updated dynamically based on the selected profile. Action buttons were placed next to the 'Appointments' and 'Reminders' sections for quick access. Initially, a calendar feature allowed users to view reminders by swiping through dates or using a pop-up calendar.
Note
I placed an 'Add New Note' button at the top of the page for visibility, encouraging user action. While I initially planned for users to swipe through notes by date, and included tags beneath each note for easy categorisation, these features were ultimately not included in the final design as more critical elements took precedence.
Learn
On the Learn page, users can access personalised articles by selecting their pet type, with the option to choose both dogs and cats. Although I initially planned to include quizzes as a fun, interactive feature alongside articles, I decided to exclude them from the final design to maintain the app's primary focus.
Usability Study
I conducted an in-person, moderated usability study with five pet owners to test the low-fidelity prototype of Pet Buddy. The study involved four tasks, each followed by questions to evaluate how easily users could navigate the app and complete key functions: Track, Learn, and Note.
Findings
Round 1
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The reminder button wasn't well-placed.
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Buttons, checkboxes were too small
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No dedicated section for vaccinations
Round 2
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Need for multiple alerts for vaccinations
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Desire for educational content on pets
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Desire to store pet's medical information
Refining the design
After conducting two rounds of moderated usability studies, several key changes were made to the app.
Track
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I made the 'Add Reminder' button more prominent than in the initial design to improve visibility.
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Rather than separating appointments and reminders, I organised them into distinct sections for vaccinations and reminders.
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Additionally, I replaced the calendar format with a simpler, more user-friendly interface
Notes
I introduced tabs on the 'Notes' page: 'General' for storing memorable moments and 'Documents' for uploading medical records.
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Initially, the 'Notes' page was designed for users to document unusual pet behaviours. However, feedback indicated that users preferred not to store such notes long-term.
For medical purposes, they suggested adding notes to reminders for vet visits instead.
As a result, I revised the 'Notes' function. I added a Floating Action Button for quick and easy access to add both 'General' notes and 'Documents'
Learn
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The quiz feature was removed from the final design as it did not align with the users' needs or address the core problem. Articles, on the other hand, were a better fit for supporting users. Overall, the final design closely resembled the initial wireframes, with only minor adjustments.
Clickable prototype
Accessibility considerations
I’ve prioritised accessibility by ensuring the content on the app is concise yet informative.
Buttons have been designed with a height of 48px to support easy navigation and control, particularly for users with motor impairments.
The text size has been optimised to ensure maximum readability, accommodating users with varying visual abilities.
Designing the website
After completing the Pet Buddy app design, I decided to create a companion website. The primary purpose of the site is to showcase the app’s features and highlight its user-friendly design.
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While the website doesn’t offer access to the app’s functionalities, it provides a clear preview of what users can expect and encourages them to download the app for a hands-on experience.
Deconstructing the homepage
The website's homepage features a top navigation menu and a prominent hero image designed to capture the user's attention.
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As users scroll, the app’s key features are highlighted in a concise format.
The following section includes a clear call to action, encouraging users to download the app and experience its benefits.
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At the bottom, I included a user review to further promote the app and build trust
Mockups
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Takeaways
Impact
The app's design solves common challenges faced by pet owners in fast-paced urban environments, providing a streamlined and organized way to care for their pets.
What I learned
I’ve learned that understanding the priorities of target users, from the most important to the least, is crucial when designing an effective interface.